Number of internally displaced people remains stable at 26 million

A group of internally displaced women, one bearing a sleeping child, in Galkayo, Somalia.

NEW YORK, United States, May 4 (UNHCR) – The number of people living in other parts of their homeland after fleeing conflict, generalized violence and human rights violations stood at 26 million last year, unchanged from 2007, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

A report by NRC's Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, released during a ceremony in New York last Friday, also said that the 26 million internally displaced people (IDP) included 4.6 million newly displaced in 2008, up 900,000 from the previous year, and an equivalent number of returns.

"In the context of conflict prevention, forced displacement remains a major challenge, as does the protection of internally displaced persons," UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said at the launch of the report, which was presided over by NRC Secretary-General Elisabeth Rasmusson.

The report said the biggest new displacement last year came in the Philippines, where 600,000 people fled fighting between the government and armed groups in the southern region of Mindanao. There were also large-scale displacements of 200,000 people or more in nine other countries: Sudan, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Colombia, Sri Lanka and India.

South and South-east Asia were the regions with the largest relative change in the number of IDPs last year, with a 13 percent increase from the end of 2007. The report noted that Africa was the most affected continent, with 11.6 million IDPs in 19 countries, though this figure was down nine percent on 2007.

The countries with the largest number of internally displaced were the Sudan (4.9 million), Colombia (up to 4.3 million) and Iraq (2.8 million).

"We all share the responsibility to assist and show our solidarity with the world's IDPs," said Rasmusson. " Millions of IDPs are forced to survive in appalling conditions, in informal settlements alongside local communities, or hiding in urban slums or forests from the groups who displaced them."

The report said IDPs in 2008 were "exposed to a wide range of discrimination and human rights violations as a result of deliberate policies or neglect." It said that in 26 of 52 countries studied, the displaced continued to face attack and violence after moving. It highlighted the dangers faced by children, women, the elderly and ethnic minorities.

High Commissioner Guterres said that the "narrowing of humanitarian space" was one of several challenges the world faced in trying to help internally displaced populations. He also stressed that the impact of the global financial crisis must not allow neglected situations to worsen. The budgets of many humanitarian agencies were shrinking, he said, while the problems for the world's most vulnerable people are increasing.

Sir John Holmes, the UN's humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said the scale of displacement was horrific. "Although the figures tell a story, they do not tell the whole story. There is an individual behind every number, and a family," he said at Friday's ceremony. He stressed the "need to work more upstream than downstream," intensifying efforts to prevent displacement.

Mikhail Sebastian is a stateless man who has been living in the United States for more than a decade-and-a-half. In this video, he tells of the hardships he has faced and the importance of providing legal protections to stateless persons in the U.S.

The internally displaced seek safety in other parts of their country, where they need help.

A Photo Profile of Nansen Award Winner Edward Kennedy

In recognition of his achievements as a life-long advocate on behalf of the world's most vulnerable people, the recipient of the 2009 Nansen Refugee Award is the late Edward Kennedy. The Senator was a champion for those who suddenly found themselves with no voice and no rights. Year after year, he put the plight of refugees on the agenda and drove through policies that saved and shaped countless lives.

A Photo Profile of Nansen Award Winner Edward Kennedy

Nansen Award presentation for the late Senator Edward Kennedy

UNHCR's annual Nansen Refugee Award was posthumously awarded to Senator Edward Kennedy at a ceremony in Washington DC on October 29 for his life-long commitment to refugee rights. Kennedy's wife, Victoria, accepted the award on behalf of her late husband. In presenting the award, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, praised the "vision and commitment" of Senator Kennedy in his support for the displaced.

The prize money of US$100,000 will be donated to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, where it will be used to train the next generation of leaders dedicated to the cause of refugee advocacy. The Nansen Award is given to an individual or organization for outstanding work on behalf of refugees. It was created in 1954 in honour of Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian polar explorer, scientist and the first global High Commissioner for Refugees.

Nansen Award presentation for the late Senator Edward Kennedy

Victims of Conflict in Nigeria Find Safety in Cameroon Camp

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres visited Cameroon in late March to put a spotlight on the situation there of tens of thousands of refugees from Nigeria. These people have escaped mounting violence by insurgents in the north-east of their country. Among the places that Guterres visited during his March 24-25 visit is the Minawao Refugee Camp, where many of the uprooted have been relocated.

Situated some 120 kilometres from the dangerous border area with Nigeria in Cameroon's Far North region, Minawao camp is currently home to 33,000 Nigerian refugees, mainly from Borno state. Many of the arrivals are traumatized and in need of material and psycho-social help. They told the High Commissioner of losing their homes and belongings as well as members of their families. Some were injured. In total, an estimated 74,000 Nigerians have found refuge in Cameroon while cross-border incursions from Nigeria have displaced 96,000 Cameroonians. UNHCR photographer Hélène Caux also visited Minawao to hear the individual stories.

Victims of Conflict in Nigeria Find Safety in Cameroon Camp

Cameroon: High Commissioner Meets Nigerian Refugees

In Minawao camp, Cameroon, Nigerian refugees get a chance to tell their stories to High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres during his visit.

UNHCR: An Appeal for Africa

The High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, called for more attention and help for African nations dealing with new and old displacements.

Lebanon: UN Agency Chiefs Visit Bekaa Refugees

The heads of UNHCR and the UN Development Programme visited Syrian refugees and joint projects in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. High Commissioner António Guterres said that the Syria crisis had become the worst humanitarian tragedy of our times.